Dalianraptor

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Dalianraptor
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 120 Ma
↓
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Clade: Eumaniraptora
Clade: Avialae
Genus: †Dalianraptor
Gao & Liu, 2005
Species:
†D. cuhe
Binomial name
†Dalianraptor cuhe
Gao & Liu, 2005

Dalianraptor (meaning "Dalian thief") is a dubious genus of prehistoric bird that lived in China about 120 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous Period that was found in the Jiufotang Formation of China[1] that was initially believed to have been a possible dromaeosaurid before it was described.[2] It is very similar to the contemporary avialian Jeholornis, though it has a longer digit I (thumb-equivalent) and shorter forelimbs,[3] which suggests it may have been flightless. Reaching about 80 centimetres (31 in) in length, it was found in Jiufotang Formation rocks in Liaoning Province.

The holotype, D2139, was discovered sometime before the 2000s, when Matthew Martyniuk saw a photograph of the holotype, which was then labelled as an undescribed possible dromaeosaurid.[2] The type, and only known species, D. cuhe, was named and described by Gao & Liu in 2005.[1]

More recently, it is being suspected that the specimen is a chimera forged for the fossil trade,[4] namely a Jeholornis with the arms exchanged by those of an unnamed flightless theropod.[5][2] If the holotype is not a chimera, then the placement of Dalianraptor within Aves is still uncertain.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Gao and Liu (2005). "A new avian taxon from Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of western Liaoning." Global Geology, 24(4), 313-316.
  2. ^ a b c Matthew Martyniuk (2012-08-10). "DinoGoss: The Strange Bird Dalianraptor cuhe". Dinogoss.blogspot.com.au. Retrieved 2014-02-02.
  3. ^ Chiappe, Luis M.; Dyke, Gareth J. (2006). "The Early Evolutionary History of Birds". Journal of the Paleontological Society of Korea. 22 (1): 133–151.
  4. ^ O'Connor, Sun, Xu, Wang and Zhou (2012). "A new species of Jeholornis with complete caudal integument." Historical Biology, 24(1): 29-41.
  5. ^ a b Naish, Darren (2011). "Getting a major chapter on birds – ALL birds – into a major book on dinosaurs | Tetrapod Zoology, Scientific American Blog Network". PLOS ONE. Blogs.scientificamerican.com. 6 (11): e26350. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0026350. PMC 3227577. PMID 22140427. Retrieved 2014-02-02.


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